Universal Education Wiki
Welcome to the Universal Education Wiki This wiki page is created by Megan Spitzer for the International School of St. Lucia's World Issues Class. It describes Universal Education and how it is impacting the world. Overview Universal Education speaks of the organization Education for All (EFA), which is dedicated to ensuring that all children are given the proper education that is needed for them to live a successful life. EFA believes that education is not a privilege, but a necessary right. It is a right just as proper "food or a roof over your head" are fundamental rights. There are several goals of EFA. They are to: Partnered with the Millennium Field Goals, these universaally adopted goals have shaped the UNited Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The aim of these goals are sustainable development globally (Education). No matter where in the world a child may live, it is important that they are still able to receive an education. These values, like said earlier, have been adopted globally. It is believed that the only way progress will be made is that all nations make education a priority. Some countries that have seen major development in this area are nations in Africa as well as in Southern Asia, due to the amount of developing nations. Because of the isolated villages and hard terrain, some new ideas have emerged. In the plains of Kenya and steppes of Mongolia, mobile schools have been created, so that nomadic children will have the opportunity of education. The schools do change location every 45 days though, so it is up to the families to continue on the education. There is also much need in the Middle East, where schools are being destroyed from being in the cross hairs of war. For instance, Gaza schools have been destroyed by bombings, but blockades have made it almost impossible for building supplies to come in and repair the school. This has left many refugee children without the education that they need (Good news). Impacts of EFA Having universal education would impact the world in many ways, but will also have lasting effects on the child themselves. Economically speaking, education is closely linked to poverty; with most believing that education is the only means to break the cycle. If all children left school with basic skills, 117 million people will be out of poverty. It is estimated that for every year of education a person has, their future salary will increase by 10%. Health wise, education is very important. A person being educated helps enforce that a person will become more aware of diseases and vaccinations. Not only has it improved maternal health, but has also lowered the child mortality rate for mothers that are literate. In Indonesia alone, 68% of educated mothers vaccinated their children, while those without education had a vaccination rate of 19%. With diseases, people who are more knowledgeable tend to fight stigmas and combat preventable diseases, such as malaria and HIV. There have also been environmental impacts of EFA. As part of their education, children are thought about the environment and ways to sustain it, which has been reinforced by the UN to be added to curriculum. There is also impact in global impact, with the amount of aid decreasing in countries that are educated. It was estimated that $16 billion would be needed to aid poor countries to reach EFA goals, but in 2008 these same countries only needed $2 billion in aid (Education). Solutions The main solution for universal education relies on the cooperation of all nations globally, which requires all the nations’ governments to make formal promises in having education as a major priority. Once this is done, it can now become a country by country case, making sure that all countries keep with their promise. Whether it is a more developed western nation or a developing nation in central Africa, without the government’s formal promise, nothing will happen. There are several main steps that can be taken towards this, which are ensuring that there are meeting places, qualified teachers, accessible supplies, and formal requirements that all students need to reach. The main problem that is arising from all of this is having enough money to fund projects (What can Governments do?). Like stated earlier, an estimated $16 billion would be needed to reach this goal (Education). The major problems with a lack of education come from nations that are in trouble financially, which makes it harder for them to set aside money to invest in education. This means that alternative funding would have to be found from other places. Funding comes from the UN itself, fundraisers, donors, and many other places. Hopefully as countries receive the aid they need, this can lessen in time as they developed, which was shown to be true in aiding only $2 billion in 2008 (Education). At the end of the day, it is all up to the countries to ensure that everything is in place, and realize that focusing on education is also ensuring the future of their country. Living in the Caribbean, I have tried to do local work for education. At a vacation bible school, I was able to teach 1st graders about the bible, but also help with their progression of reading. Also, I educated the primary students at my about the environment, by creating an Environmental Club. Simple tasks like this might seem minuscule but will help those young children in their paths of education. Also, regularly donating books that I don't read anymore could then be enjoyed by another student, and hopefully help them explore their education potential. American Perspective Though America is known for being one of the most developed nations in the world, there are many problems with their school systems. Each of the 50 states has different guidelines and budgets, because it is run by their own state governments. This being said, each state of course has basic laws that have to be followed in a federal scale. Considering the state of each of the states, some have more money to be invested than others. An example of the differences between states is California and Indiana. California as a state has suffered through debt, which means that there is not much money to go towards education. This then means budget cuts, teacher layoffs, and more children in classrooms. On the other hand, states like Indiana are actually growing as a state and becoming more prosperous. More schools are actually being built, and government funding is used to buy new equipment, supplies, and labs. There are actually 46.2 million people that are living in poverty in America, and from that 40% of children aren’t prepared for primary school, children are 7 times more likely to drop out of school, and children are 1.3 times more likely to have learning disabilities and developmental delays (11 Facts). This shows that lack of education is a problem throughout the world, and does not stay within the confines of developing nations. There is much trying to be done about this. Some organizations, such as the Global Campaign for Education, dedicate themselves to that all children receive the quality education that they deserve. Since education is a basic human right, they believe this is at the most importance. Their main priorities are to make sure that all children have accessible education, that there are qualified teachers for the students. and that children have all the supplies needed. This is done by forcing education as a main priority to governments, as well as having donors and fundraisers to pay for these projects (GCE-US). A lot is currently being done, but there is always more that can happen. Governments should have more of a focus on what students are actually learning, and to try and create programs that allow families in poverty to be able to send their children to school. For a quite longer video (approximately 30 minutes) on President Obama addressing how education connects to the economy, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbXIGVHf224. Bibliography "11 Facts About Education and Poverty in America." DoSomething.org. DoSomething, n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. . Courtney. Poverty. Digital image. Povertyinschools.blogspot.com. Blogspot, 5 June 2010. Web. 13 June 2014. . "Education for All (EFA)." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 11 June 2014. . EFA. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008, UNESCO. Digital image. D&B. Mindlogicx, 2008. Web. 10 June 2014. . "GCE-US Programs and Priorities | Global Campaign For Education United States Chapter." Campaignforeducationusa. Global Campaign For Education United States Chapter, n.d. Web. 13 June 2014. . "Good News and Bad News." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 12 June 2014. . Promising Start in Indonesian Fight Against Stunting. Digital image.Thousanddays.org. 1,000 Days, n.d. Web. 12 June 2014. . "President Obama on the Importance of Education": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hOp408Ib5w Sobecki, Nichole. Brings sub-Saharan Africa countries together to accelerate progress towards EFA. Digital image. Globaleducationfirstinitiative.org. Global Education First Initiative, n.d. Web. 13 June 2014. . "What Can Governments Do?" UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 13 June 2014. . "What Education Can do (GCE Big Film 2007)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gyav93O2jA Latest activity Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Find videos about your topic by exploring Wikia's Video Library. 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